Manila Broadcasting Company
Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) is a radio and television network in the Philippines. MBC is currently owned by the FJE Group of Companies of Fred J. Elizalde, which also operates hotels and Pasay-based amusement park Star City. Its AM flagship network, DZRH is the oldest radio station in the country while its FM flagship network, Love Radio is the #1 station in FM radio ratings in Metro Manila (until 2017) and several key cities. MBC's corporate headquarters and studios are located at the MBC Building, Sotto St., CCP Complex, Pasay City. MBC forms its own network group with six national brands, specifically, DZRH radio and DZRH News Television, Aksyon Radyo, Love Radio, Yes The Best, Easy Rock, and Radyo Natin; operated either directly by MBC, or through its affiliate-licensees Pacific Broadcasting Systems, Cebu Broadcasting Company, Radyo Natin Network, and Philippine Broadcasting Corporation. DZRH News Television, which is an extension of the DZRH brand into an audio-visual platform, is carried by some 1,000 cable providers throughout the Philippine archipelago. The current president of MBC is Ruperto Nicdao Jr. History The Heacock era The origins of MBC can be traced to DZRH, which first went on air as KZRH on the morning of July 15, 1939 by the Heacock Company, a prominent department store based in Escolta Street, Binondo, Manila. Years later, it bought KZRC (now DYRC) from Isaac Beck in Cebu City. The Japanese took over the stations and KZRH became PIAM (Philippine Islands AM) for their propaganda use. The birth of MBC and DZRH After World War II, the Elizalde brothers (Federico "Fred", Joaquin Miguel "Mike" and Manuel "Manolo") took over KZRH and KYRC. With the help of station manager Bertrand Silen, KZRH transferred its operations to the Insular Life Building in Plaza Cervantes. In June 1946, the Elizaldes established the network under the Manila Broadcasting Company (incorporated in September 30, 1947). KZRH returned to the airwaves on July 1, 1946. On July 4, 1946, it aired the live coverage of the Philippine independence from the United States and the inauguration of the third Philippine Republic. In 1948, after the international telecommunications conference in the United States where the Philippines changed its first letter to "D", KZRH changed its callsign to DZRH, and has been expanded to over 30 stations nationwide. The same year, MBC launched its sister station in Manila, DZMB and DZPI. In 1949, DZRH began airing the first radio drama, Gulong ng Palad. Ben Aniceto began his long media career, working with DZRH, DZMB and DZPI as a radio talent. 1960s to Marcos dictatorship When then-President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law in 1972, MBC was temporarily closed for a few months. In 1975, MBC ventured into the FM band when its stations DZMB and other MBC music AM stations (such as DYBU in Cebu) moved to FM radio. This would became the nucleus of MBC's Love Radio Network. The expansion of MBC In 1985, Manolo Elizalde retires. His son, Fred J. Elizalde, becomes Chairman and CEO. After the EDSA Revolution ended the Marcos dictatorship in 1986, MBC begins to expand its FM stations (Love Radio Network) while DZRH continues to broadcast nationwide. Ruperto Nicdao, Jr. became a board member of MBC in 1988 before he became President of MBC. In 1994, DZRH relaunched itself as "One Nation, One Station" by launching the first nationwide satellite broadcast. In July 2002, MBC studios were transferred from FJE Building in Makati City to CCP Complex in Pasay City. MBC co-hosted the Aliwan Fiesta since 2003, in partnership with Cultural Center of the Philippines, and the cities of Manila and Pasay City. Aliwan Fiesta is an annual event that gathers different cultural festivals of the Philippines in Star City in Pasay City wherein contingents compete in dance parade and float competitions, as well as in a beauty pageant. After 35 years, MBC returned to television with the launch of DZRH News Television on October 1, 2007. Acquisitions, new networks and changes In 1995, MBC acquired DWKS-FM and changed its callsign to DWST as 101.1 Showbiz Tsismis. It lasts until 1998 and relaunched as Yes FM. During the 1990s, DYRC was spun off into Aksyon Radyo, established in 11 provincial AM stations. On December 16, 1997, MBC launched Radyo Natin. Composed of 100 FM stations strategically across the nation by using state of the art satellite technology, Radyo Natin is able to reach audiences that has never been reached before by another radio station. In January 1999, Hot FM was launched in Dagupan City, Cebu City, General Santos City and Zamboanga City, with more than 50 minor provincial radio stations (under the consortium with Radyo Natin). In October 2008, MBC acquired DWRK from ACWS-United Broadcasting Network. Seven months later on May 2009, DWRK was relaunched as Easy Rock. In 2017, Hot FM was unofficially ceased itself as most of the remaining Hot FM stations were rebranded and switched to Radyo Natin. In 2018, MBC began to test broadcast its TV channel DZRH News Television on digital free TV using ISDB-T in Cebu, Bacolod and Iloilo. Radio stations Main article: List of Manila Broadcasting Company stations DZRH News Television Main article: DZRH News Television Subsidiaries / Affiliates Current *Love Radio Network *Cebu Broadcasting Company - Operator of Easy Rock. *Pacific Broadcasting Systems - Operator of Aksyon Radyo and Yes The Best. *Radyo Natin Network - Operator of Radyo Natin. *Philippine Broadcasting Corporation *Operation Tulong - MBC's corporate social responsibility program. *Elizalde Hotels and Resorts (80%) *365 Talent Management - MBC's talent management unit Previous *Hot FM Network (1999–2017) Partnerships and affiliations *Bitstop Network Services *Cultural Center of the Philippines * ACS Manufacturing Corporation External links *Media Ownership Monitor Philippines - Media Companies: A Duopoly Rules by VERA Files and Reporters Without Borders